Hyde5: Was Jay Cutler 'great' — or just smart against a defense Dolphins could face more?

Jay Cutler had a good game Sunday. A good game. By which I mean he took what the Raiders defense offered, making smart and easy passes, allowing the offense to move and not trying to do more than that.

He completed 34 of 42 passes for 311 yards for three TDs and a 121.3 quarterback rating. You’d take that every week from him — not those numbers, which are higher than can be consistently happen, of course. But that good, smart game you’d take.

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Did he have a great game?

That’s what is out there right now. Actually, there’s another narrative: Why didn’t he throw the ball deep until the end? Why not take some more shots?

As you’ll see, this is really the same narrative of Cutler’s “great” game, if you break down what the Raiders were doing. The Raiders had a beat-up secondary. So, as opposed to what the Dolphins saw all year with Jay Ajayi, the Raiders played safeties deep. They didn’t bring up an extra safety for the running game. In fact, they told the entire secondary to play soft and keep everything in front of them. They gave up the easy, short passes.

The Raiders essentially said we’ll give up some short-yardage plays to the Dolphins offense because we don’t think it can sustain long drives without a breakdown, a drive-busting penalty or a turnover.

So besides making smart decisions, that’s why Cutler had good numbers. Damien Williams (6 catches, 47 yards), Kenyan Drake (6, 35) Jarvis Landry (6, 32) and Anthony Fasano (2, 2) comprised 20 of his completions. They averaged a modest 5.8 yards per attempt. That’s exactly what the Raiders allowed — and the Dolphins never busted those short passes into a big gain.

There were some longer passes as the Dolphins needed to press the ball down the field as they were behind. Cutler’s two longest passes — 27 yards to Julius Thomas and 26 to DeVante Parker — came in the final four minutes of the game when they trailed, 27-16. Parker, (five catches, 76 yards) made a wonderful, one-handed catch on the sideline for that gain that was ruled an completion on replay.

In other words, for most of the game the Dolphins took what the Raiders gave them and Cutler was sharp in completing 16 straight passes. That’s good, smart quarterbacking.

Is it great quarterbacking as being discussed? Hmm.

To me, it’s a better defensive strategy, especially considering the Raiders secondary’s health limitations Remember, their idea was to allow show passes because they didn’t think the Dolphins were consistent enough to drive down the field without breakdowns.

* On four of them, they had a holding penalty to either face 20 yards to a first down or, when Jarvis Landry held, negate a 30-yard run and face a first-and-12.

* On one, Kenyan Drake fumbled. They started that drive at their 48 after an onside kick. In fact, the three drives the Dolphins had the best field position — their 48 twice and their 45 — their fumbled and punted twice.

* On six, they had clean drives. Two resulted in touchdowns and one a field goal.

So the Raiders strategy worked. Give the short pass. Watch them break down more times than not if a longer drive is needed. It’s hard to say the Dolphins will see this all the time — because not every secondary is as beat up as the Raiders’ was. But this explains why Adam Gase was frustrated by questions of why the Dolphins didn’t throw the ball downfield more in the game.

2. So we get the kind of big college game in November that we used to get all the time more than decade ago. No. 7 Canes versus No. 3 Notre Dame. And, as I wrote in my column today, I wonder if Canes fans really remember how to act for a big game. I gave them some advice.

3. The Dolphins rank third in the percentage of red-zone touchdowns (66.7 percent). That’s very good. Then again, they rank last in red-zone opportunities.

4. I was on Paul Castronovo’s show this morning on 105.9 with another guest, John Offerdahl. The former Dolphins linebacker has his charity grill-off this Saturday in a mix of food, fun and a good cause. It’s telling about sports, or maybe life, that for as for as great a linebacker as Offerdahl was (five-time Pro Bowl, two-time All Pro), the two things I remember most about him happened off the field. One: He dove into a canal and saved a couple whose car crashed into it. Two: He and his employees at his bagel shop took thousands of bagels to help people in south Dade who were without food and water after Hurricane Andrew. Sometimes, you see, football is only a sliver of who players are.

5. Tweet of the day from former Marlin Juan Pierre: “Devastating news about Roy Halladay. The only teammate to beat me to the field! A true beast! Prayingfor his wife and 2 boys!